The successful - and
strange - “He-Man” animated series and mandatory action figure line
channels the power of Hollywood for the 1987 Cannon classic MASTERS OF
THE UNIVERSE! This special screening is presented in
HECKLEVISION:
Through the magic
of MuVChat technology, your jokes, heckles and commentary are encouraged
- in TEXT form! Tap out your wittiest wisecracks with your phone and
they'll appear instantly on screen! Each month, special guests will hang
out to crack jokes via text with you and a few hundred of your best
friends!
If you were an American kid in the 80s, chances are
“He-Man and the Masters of the Universe” (or its spin-off “She-Ra:
Princess of Power”) meant a lot to you. The show chronicled the
adventures of royal hunk Prince Adam, who fought the evil forces of
skeleton-man Skeletor by transforming into a less-clothed hero named
He-Man using his Sword of Power and the mysterious energy of Castle
Greyskull. Makes sense, right?
Many action figures and playsets
later, parents were given the chance to spend even more money on He-Man
when the long-awaited film adaptation finally hit theaters. Starring
Dolph Lundgren as He-Man and award-winning actor Frank Langella as
Skeletor, the film starts with Skeletor in control of Castle Grayskull.
He’s copied a “Cosmic Key” that opens portals to other dimensions using
sound, and the heroes attempt to thwart him but have to escape to Earth.
Once there, they immediately lose this powerful device and some kids
(including Courtney Cox in an early role) find it and mistake it for… a
synthesizer. This kicks off a power battle between He-Man and Skeletor
for control of this key (and the power of the entire universe, of
course), with two high school kids caught up in the mix.
MASTERS
is about as coherent as a movie based on He-Man is expected to be, and
it does feel like you’re watching adults parade around as action figures
in a forgotten eighties metal album cover come to life. The visual
effects aren’t bad for a movie that only had a little more than $20
million to spend, and probably the biggest disappointment is that it’s
not even cheesier. Once you’ve got Dolph Lundgren in a codpiece and
Frank Langella encased in prosthetic makeup fighting over a magical
synthesizer, why hold back? (Believe it or not, Langella later said
Skeletor was “one of [his] very favorite parts”.)
Notoriously
prolific film producers Golan-Globus famously touted MASTERS OF THE
UNIVERSE as a STAR WARS for the 80s. While it’s a far cry from anything
in the original trilogy, the chances are good that you’d rather watch
this than Episode 1 or 2 - and anything starring Dolph Lundgren is worth
at least 90 minutes of your time!
This event’s special guests:
Ian Durias
David Mascorro
Kelly Richardson
Craig May
Matt Styner
Timothy Blackton
Sponsored by Chipotle Mexican Grill and Deschutes Brewery.